Welcome to the Bubble- Episode 3
Inside the Bubble- The Curse of the Orlando Pearl
It’s extremely difficult for me not to write this entire article on T.J. McConnell since he made a cameo performance. I really could if I wanted to but Matisse gets up to some funny shenanigans in this episode so let’s dive right in.
The Fame
Matisse is growing to become beloved with the release of these videos outside of the Sixers fandom. His third vlog is nearly closing in on half a million views. He’s receiving interviews from The New York Times and L.A. Times but the best reactions to his success was from his dad. His dad was full of joy and enthusiasm. Exactly how I would react if my son was the NBA. In all seriousness, the vlogs have been the best sports content we’ve been blessed with since March.
Matisse wakes up in the morning and strolls to the bathroom with these very cool Sixers retro shorts on. It instantly reminded me of how much I miss the old jerseys. Next, Thybulle complains about the 76ers having 9 a.m. practices. Somebody’s gotta tell him that Jimmy’s already been in the gym for 6 hours by 9 a.m. I’m sure he’ll hear about it from Jimmy though. Speaking of former players, I nearly fell out of my seat when I saw T.J make an appearance. I just miss him so much… I want to hug him… Alright, back to it. Joel Embiid makes a short appearance, but I hope we start seeing more of him. He’s been quiet recently and I feel like he could be a star on one of these episodes in the future.
The Storm
We discover something new every episode. This time we learned that Matisse really hates the rain. Mike Scott kicks off practice by claiming “I ain’t no b**ch.” The Threegional Manager had to sneak that in there but it’s a classic. Thybulle gets hyped when he spots a rubik cube and declares that he only needs two minutes to solve it. I’ve been attempting to solve rubik cubes for 15 years but apparently Matisse can do it in 2 minutes. I give up.
Thybulle shows off the gaming room and plays a little ping pong with Forkan. I’m gonna need a live broadcast of a ping-pong game between Matisse and Forkan as bonus material. The Rookie included us in his temperature taking and shows off his fancy digital thermometer. Someone’s gotta take one for the team and hack Tatum’s thermometer so he can’t play us in the playoffs. Or not, because it doesn’t really matter. We’ll beat the Celtics anyway. My favorite moment from episode 3 comes when Tobias declares, “Advance recovery my brotha.”
The Curse of the Orlando Pearl
Matisse teased this episode by previewing some teammates stuck on a boat with him while playing Pirates of the Caribbean music. Thybulle, Harris, and O’Quinn fill up the last portion of the video acting like a bunch of scalawags controlling the high seas. The fun and games come to a pause when their boat breaks in the middle of the water. O’Quinn jokingly puts on a life jacket. Considering the Sixers have had their history of strange injuries, I was simply worried that one of them would fall off the boat. That’s just my thought process ever since Zhaire’s peanut fiasco.
After the trio returned safely to shore, Matisse goes to a workout but is never given his shoes. He’s forced to wear low-top sneakers as he drains a three. Once again, my brain is so triggered with injuries that I’m just afraid that he’ll roll his ankles in his low-tops.
Opinion
Kyle O’Quinn has been a surprise enjoyment adding his personality to the already lovable Matisse and Tobias. At least he’s making himself somewhat useful considering he doesn’t really fill that void on the basketball court. We got to see some more activities between the players today so I’m hoping it will continue. I’d love to see how players like Richardson, Embiid and Simmons are filling their day. These videos have been excellent, but I’m wondering with the first scrimmage coming up, will these videos continue as the games start? Hopefully we can get us much Matisse content as possible before the real test begins.
